When we visit another country we wish to think of ourselves as travelers. Definitely not tourists. We want to blend in. To see and not be seen. To observe, learn, understand.
Varanasi, IndiaVaranasi, India
But make no mistake, we are noticed, we are watched. Usually just a noted oddity; possibly a potential opportunity for needed income, or a source of amusement.
Varanasi, IndiaHavana, Cuba
I have heard mzungu (Swahili), paradēśī (Hindi), sādā byakti (Bengali) and, of course, gringo, as I pass by. Translating as foreigner, white person, etc. Always in a curious, friendly way, so far, at least.
Calcutta, India
We live in a world that has narrowed into a neighborhood before it has broadened into a brotherhood.
___Lyndon B. Johnson
Havana, CubaCalcutta, India
The most professional of these observers take their jobs seriously. They post themselves where they have an unobstructed field of view. The most prized positions are second floor balconies, it seems. And they devote their full attention to their task. We may see them as busy bodies or simply watching their world go by.
Near Luang Prabang, Laos
Really! But aren’t we, the travelers, the photographers, the real voyeurs here.
Varanasi, India
The photographer is an armed version of the solitary walker reconnoitering, stalking, cruising the urban inferno, the voyeuristic stroller who discovers the city as a landscape of voluptuous extremes. Adept of the joys of watching, connoisseur of empathy, the flâneur finds the world ‘picturesque.
― Susan Sontag, On Photography
Havana, Cuba
Aren’t we all the same? Inquisitive, people watchers, each from our own perspective. We travelers being curious about the places we visit. Isn’t it the very essence of travel? The locals just as interested in we foreigners, interlopers, who pass, usually too briefly, through their neighborhoods.
Old Delhi, India
In my case, photography gave me the possibility to “draw” without using pen and paper – and make a living out of it. The camera gives me the opportunity to express myself artistically and observe the world through the lens. I am and have always been a voyeur, a “spy”
___Alberto Natan
Calcutta, India
The creative act lasts but a brief moment, a lightning instant of give-and-take, just long enough for you to level the camera and to trap the fleeting prey in your little box.
___Henri Cartier-Bresson
Calcutta, India
In the mazes of loitering people, the watchful and furtive, The shadows of tree-trunks and shadows of leaves, In the drowse of the sunlight, among the low voices, I suddenly face you,
___Conrad Aiken
Stone Town, Zanzibar
I have a nagging creative spirit and I find it needs an outlet. While I don’t think of myself as an artist, my camera allows me to nurture that spirit. I also have an insatiable curiosity about other peoples and places. The way others live, their culture, their beliefs. Fascinating!
That’s what it’s all about. Travel and photography – my yin and my yang.
Oh, the places you’ve been and the people you’ve seen and captured! Do you ever look at your photos and wonder what has become of them and whether their circumstances have changed? My favourite is the father and little daughter at the window of the pink brick apartment building. Outstanding photography, Ron, and such a great post for this week’s challenge.
Absolutely gorgeous Ron, I could see you in this more than ever! alongside your subjects and entrancing and gorgeous photographs – and for me, it was all the sweeter and richer for it. This is an intimate and beautiful post! 🙂
Totally in love with your photos, they tell a story, or we can imagine a story, they tell of people’s lives just as the people in your photos seem to be watching others lives…. Wonderful!
Paul Sean
9 Mar 2014Reblogged this on Take Ya There.
fotograffer
9 Mar 2014Thank you Paul.
suej
9 Mar 2014Great post! Fabulous images
fotograffer
9 Mar 2014Thanks so much Sue J.
Ishaiya
9 Mar 2014Your shots are amazing. A wonderful feast of colour and superb composition.
fotograffer
9 Mar 2014Thank you so much for your kind words and thanks for visiting.
Ishaiya
10 Mar 2014My pleasure! 🙂
theamateurcamera
9 Mar 2014Fantastic images! Love the quotes too and the words you finished with hit the nail on the head for me! Great post! 🙂
fotograffer
9 Mar 2014Thank you so much for your kind words and thanks for visiting. I am happy you enjoyed the post.
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Tina Schell
9 Mar 2014Another terrific post Ron. My favorite shot is the fellow inside the window of the yellow door. How nice of him to be there for you 🙂 Great job.
fotograffer
9 Mar 2014I was as surprised as he was. Thanks for your loyalty Tina.
anotherday2paradise
9 Mar 2014Oh, the places you’ve been and the people you’ve seen and captured! Do you ever look at your photos and wonder what has become of them and whether their circumstances have changed? My favourite is the father and little daughter at the window of the pink brick apartment building. Outstanding photography, Ron, and such a great post for this week’s challenge.
fotograffer
13 Mar 2014Thank you Sylvia, you are kind. We have been fortunate, as you, to have traveled much. And yes, I do wonder about people whose paths we have crossed.
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catbirdinamerica
10 Mar 2014What an amazing group of photos, Ron. I love them all. Wanderlust is hitting me hard again. 🙂
fotograffer
13 Mar 2014So, where to next? Thanks for your kind comment Cathy.
catbirdinamerica
14 Mar 2014Sadly can’t go anywhere now as I have no job and no means to support my travels. 🙁
fotograffer
14 Mar 2014What does that have to do with anything? 🙂
catbirdinamerica
17 Mar 2014Haha, I wish it didn’t have anything to do with it, Ron!
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Stefano Scheda
10 Mar 2014Really beautiful shots, Ron! Also I love Cuba and India 😉
fotograffer
13 Mar 2014Thanks Stefano. They are two of my favorite places as well.
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Tuxedo Sophisticated Cat
10 Mar 2014Fabulous series.
fotograffer
13 Mar 2014Thank you so much.
Dalo 2013
11 Mar 2014Great series, there was just about every expression that I would have hoped to have seen and then even more. The opening shot was my favorite…
fotograffer
13 Mar 2014Thanks Randall. It was a great post to put together. I got to relive several trips while gathering the images.
Gigi Galore
12 Mar 2014Absolutely gorgeous Ron, I could see you in this more than ever! alongside your subjects and entrancing and gorgeous photographs – and for me, it was all the sweeter and richer for it. This is an intimate and beautiful post! 🙂
fotograffer
13 Mar 2014Oh Gigi, what a wonderful things to say. Thank you so much.
Pepe Samson
6 Apr 2014Your blog is amazing!!!! Why didn’t I discover this earlier? Awesome photos and words. Damn, I’m an instant fan.
Maya
4 Jun 2014These are incredible. I’m looking forward to seeing more!!
fotograffer
5 Jun 2014Thank you so much and thanks for visiting.
gaiainaction
22 Nov 2014Totally in love with your photos, they tell a story, or we can imagine a story, they tell of people’s lives just as the people in your photos seem to be watching others lives…. Wonderful!
restlessjo
10 Jul 2015Fantastic images, Ron! So glad I came here 🙂
fotograffer
12 Jul 2015Thanks so much Jo. I am glad too. Every week Lynne tells me about your wonderful walks.